In my current homebrew campaign, the party [human abjurer, human fighter, h elven druid, and elven abyssal sorcerer, all currently lvl 8] will eventually be going up against a mythic vampire necromancer who was imbued with a small portion of his dead god’s divine power. The Vampire wants to bring his god back and they party must stop him.
Because the fighter has been maxing out his craft armor/ craft weapons skills, I thought it’d be cool to have a prophecy saying that to kill the vampire they need a specifically crafted mythic weapon. It would probably be a khopesh (the vampire is from a nearby desert and his god is Set- centuries ago, both Ra and Set died in a cataclysmic battle between them, causing the creation of that desert).
I want it to be really difficult, with the gathering of each component needed for the weapon being a quest all on its own. I’m thinking of this similarly to how AD&D’s High Level Campaigns addressed creating magical items, so they’d need really exotic ingredients like soil from his birthplace or the first light of sunrise on his birthday. Garlic, mirrors, holy symbols, and running water would be cool to include because of vampire’s weakness to them but seem too mundane.
To help them make it before his army becomes too powerful, I created an artifact forge for them that drastically reduces mundane crafting time. The history they know if it says that it was gifted to the Dwarven race by Torag himself and that its power is legendary.
But before they can use it, they must prove their worth by researching and completing 3 awesome tests. Because (according to Gods & Magic), Torag wants his children to grow up strong, determined and competent, the tests would be:
•The Test of Might (strength): kill an ancient enemy (possibilities include an Ash Giant, Great Cyclops or Chromatic Dragon)
•The Test of Loyalty (determination): protect something/ someone at all costs
•And the Test of Skill (competence): mundanely craft a unique or extremely valuable suit of armor or shield (and then maybe donate it to someone who needs the protection more?).
So my questions:
1)What super rare/ exotic components could the vamp-god killing sword contain?
2)What (or who) might they have to protect for the Test of Loyalty?
3)What should they have to craft for the Test of Skill?
Vampire contains the power of dead Set.
Set was killed by, and killed, Ra.
To kill the vampire, it makes sense the sword should be empowered by Ra.
Perhaps the Talon of Ra for the blade (Ra is often associated with birds of prey). He is a sun god, so how about the Gem of Dawn to set in the pommel.
Vampire contains the power of dead Set.
Set was killed by, and killed, Ra.
To kill the vampire, it makes sense the sword should be empowered by Ra.
Perhaps the Talon of Ra for the blade (Ra is often associated with birds of prey). He is a sun god, so how about the Gem of Dawn to set in the pommel.
The talon of Ra sounds really cool but from the ideas I have about the history, it’d be crazy hard if not impossible to actually get to Ra’s dead body. Maybe it’s more symbolic and they just need a talon from an acceptably powerful bird of prey? Or maybe they need a talon of his immortal outsider pet falcon?
The Gem of Dawn set in the pommel sounds really awesome but I have no idea what the “Gem of Dawn” is. I suppose a gem of brightness could work but it should probably be something they can’t just buy. Maybe I’ll make some sort of gem artifact.
Thanks for the ideas! Keep ‘em coming!
I don't know what real-world history/mythology has to do with your game unless you want it to. If you want the PCs to be able to reach Ra's body, they can do so.
The Talon of Ra and The Gem of Dawn aren't existing things per se. They are idea for items; so the Talon of Ra could be an actual talon from Ra's body, a Phoenix talon, or something else. It should be a) a talon or talon-like object of size large enough to equate it to a sword blade and b) be connected to Ra (his own talon, a powerful pet/servant's talon, etc). Maybe its the stone talon of a sacred statue of the god, or a real talon shed by Ra long ago was incorporated into a statue in an ancient temple.
The Gem of Dawn could be a gem of brightness, or it could be a mundane stone that caps the temple of Ra on a far mountain top, part of the amulet that a high priest wears, etc. It should just be a) a gemstone, and b) connected to the sun/dawn.
When you hear "Talon of Ra" what is the coolest idea that pops in your head? That's what it is. Now make your PC's go and get it.